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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29534793">ready unsteady</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sysupportgroup/pseuds/sysupportgroup'>sysupportgroup</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Australia, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Diaspora, M/M, Seungkwan Sexy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:33:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29534793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sysupportgroup/pseuds/sysupportgroup</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Seokmin's best friend looks at him and sighs, lips twisted as he covers Seokmin's hand with his own, "Jamesy boy. Seokminnie. You know I love you with all the homo but also how many friends do you have that aren't a) from highschool, b) from church, or c) are kids of your mum's friends?" </p><p>Or, it's Seokmin's last-year-of-uni existential crisis. It's Mardi season. These two coincide.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Boo Seungkwan/Lee Seokmin | DK</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>DK's Birthday Bash!</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>ready unsteady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is incredibly plotless and self-indulgent australian diaspora cusp of adulthood musings for 218 day !!!! </p><p>thank u dia for organising !!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Here's the thing. </p><p>Even if Sydney's a big city, it's still small. The same people from primary school flow on to the same highschool flow on to the same university. The kid you beat in your Korean school's calligraphy competition when you were twelve becomes your worst enemy for eight months and then your best friend for eight years. The first bilingual friend you ever meet in this strange new land ends up your first crush right up until you trip over an attempted confession when you're fifteen and freshly braceless-less and you're left with no other earthly choice than to try and chuck a sickie every Sunday after. </p><p>Point is, Sydney is a problem. Big theoretically but so so small when it comes to the pitiful life of Seokmin Lee. </p><p>"You're doing the thing again." Says Mingyu, stabbing into the last strawberry on their bingsoo.</p><p>"What thing?"</p><p>"The whole melodramatic music student thing."</p><p>"Says the one dating a melodramatic <i>art</i>  student."</p><p>"Uh yeah," Mingyu arches an eyebrow and pops the strawberry in his mouth pointedly, "so I would know."</p><p>"It's not melodramatic though," Seokmin protests, deploying one hefty misery-powered squeeze of the condensed milk bottle towards his side of the bingsoo, "how is any of that fake?<br/>
Literally twenty people from my primary school are doing my course, you've been hanging around me for eight years, and Josh is... y'know - <i>Josh</i>."</p><p>"I'm not saying it's fake," Mingyu waggles his spoon in Seokmin's face, "I know all of it is true, dude but also like," he taps the spoon on his lips, "how much of that is just like, self-inflicted."</p><p>Seokmin stares: "Self-inflicted?" </p><p>"Self-inflicted," Mingyu repeats, putting his too-long limbs to nefarious ends by tipping back on his chair. Seokmin can see Auntie Kim having a mini heart attack in his mind, "what, like that's a surprise?"</p><p>Whatever Mingyu sees on Seokmin's face must give him the answer.</p><p>Seokmin's best friend looks at him and sighs, lips twisted as he covers Seokmin's hand with his own, "Jamesy boy. Seokminnie. You know I love you with all the homo but also how many friends do you have that aren't a) from highschool, b) from church, or c) are kids of your mum's friends?" </p><p>Seokmin opens his mouth, ready to give him names, any names. Weren't there those people he did a group project with for Composition once! </p><p>...Oh, right they'd said bye after the project was submitted and never hung out again, only Facebook friend status left to signify they once knew each other. </p><p>But wasn't there - ! </p><p>...Oh right, after dropping choir last year he hasn't really talked to Jihoon anymore, huh. </p><p>Well what about - </p><p>Shit, yeah that guy from the KSA kinda dropped him when he confessed he'd never played LOL or PUBG.</p><p>"I'm friends with this girl in my Music History class," he offers weakly, "she saves me a seat."</p><p>Or well, she doesn't give him a weird look when he takes his seat two spots down from her every Tuesday morning. That counts right?</p><p>Mingyu gives him a Look. Capital L. Seokmin hates it when he uses his Sassy Gay Stereotype powers </p><p>"What's her name?"</p><p>"Uhhh..." Natalie? Natasha? N... Something with an N. They'd introduced themselves the first day of class because of one of those stupid icebreaker activities but for the life of him, Seokmin doesn't remember her name anymore and by Week 4, it's way too late to ask, "she likes shopping at ASOS."</p><p>"Are you saying that because she told you or do you just spy on her screen during lectures." </p><p>Mingyu steals the last spoon of their bingsoo recklessly, impassive in the face of Seokmin's mini existential crisis at the premature age of 22. </p><p>"Shit," Seokmin whispers, eyes wide and miserable, "what the fuck, I actually don't have any friends. And I'm <i>graduating</i> this year. What the fuck? Is this why I'm still a virgin?" </p><p>Mingyu chokes. A group of highschool girls one table over glance at then and burst into peals of laughter. Seokmin slaps two hands over his mouth and sinks into his chair, wishing oh so very hard for death.</p><p>"Filter," Mingyu whines once he can breathe freely again, "we've talked about this before!"</p><p>Seokmin just groans and puts his head in his hands. Mingyu kisses his teeth in that asshole-y way that Seokmin knows Minghao hates, but doesn't say anything else, maybe taking pity on him for once.</p><p>"It's not anything to be ashamed about," his hand hovers close to Seokmin's forehead, ready to leave deliver the kind of penalty flick they all dreaded as kids. He releases gently instead, a fond reprimand wrapped in the light brush of smooth finger pads against the crown of Seokmin's head, "honestly, I'd be more worried about your lack of friends."</p><p>"I have friends," Seokmin corrects him, lolling his head to the side and staring Mingyu down despondently, "it's just, I've realised all the groups are less Venn Diagram and basically just one medium-ish circle. How did I do this?"</p><p>Mingyu drums his fingers on the table, pursing his lips, "Want an honest answer or a best friend answer?"</p><p>"Uh..."</p><p>He barrels on before Seokmin can answer, "Jokes, they're the same answer." He scrunches up his nose and in that obliviously-blase kind of way that makes Seokmin want to kick him, says, "You play it kinda safe, man."</p><p>"Safe?" </p><p>"Yeah, I mean, you just showed up to get freebies at O-week and never joined anything, you schedule your classes so you can catch up with the same people you saw everyday in highschool, you only hang out on campus when it's to go to class or see us." Mingyu grimaces, "Not gonna lie, it's kinda a scam that they're still making you pay the student amenities fee."</p><p>Seokmin feels a rush of emotion come up to choke him, tsunami of protests rolling on his tongue only to dry out into a saltbed when he opens his mouth because - yeah, fuck. Maybe he has been playing it safe all this time, what has he really gotten out of uni apart from a degree if he's still the same person he was three years ago? Did he just miss out on the entirety of his student glory days that he'll never get back? Did his parents and sister work so hard to bring him here just for him to be an unambitious slacker -</p><p>"Woah woah woah," Mingyu leans over the table and slaps his face around a little, deep frown etched between his eyes, "don't look like that dude, it's fine, stop spiralling."</p><p>"I can't not!" Seokmin snaps, eyes wide, a little glassy and a little frantic. "Dude, I'm in my last year, I'm out of time."</p><p>"Don't think like that," Mingyu clucks his tongue and leans over to grab Seokmin's hands earnestly and, okay, for everything that makes Seokmin want to hit his best friend, sometimes there are moments like these to balance it out, "it's never too late, seriously. You can make it your goal for this year, to meet new people! Expand your social circle!"</p><p>"When?" Seokmin shrugs helplessly. "Like should I join a club? It's kinda late right? Like once you're not a freshie anymore."<br/>
"The volunteering ones take people in whenever," Mingyu consoles him, swinging their hands together, "plus the faculty ones I'm pretty sure."</p><p>"I don't know..."</p><p>"No okay," Mingyu sits back and snaps his fimgers eagerly, "I just got an idea - what are you doing next Friday? What about a trial run?"</p><p>"What trial run?"</p><p>"Trial run for meeting new friends!" Mingyu grins big. "Minghao is doing a Mardi thing with his housemates and their friends and you're definitely one of his friends - come along, drink a little, meet other cool gays... Beginner level extroversion!"</p><p>"Ah," Seokmin bites his lip, mulling it over. "It does sound pretty fun but Josh and I were meant to skate next Friday..."</p><p>"Get him to come along!" Mingyu huffs at Seokmin's quirked eyebrow. "Dude, you and Josh see each other all the time. See if he's keen, ten bucks he'll come."</p><p>"You reckon?" Seokmin snorts, already pulling up Messenger to suggest the change in plans. "Maybe we'll finally find out whether he's gay or not."</p><p>"Hilarious to think that Josh would know himself," Mingyu snickers but his eyes are bushy bright when he grabs onto his phone too, assumedly texting his boyfriend about the additions to the guest list, "so you're in then? If Josh is?"</p><p>
  <i>joshy: oh cool just like a party?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>joshy: sure i'm in! been awhile since i've seen minghao anyways miss the guy</i>
</p><p>Seokmin shows his phone to Mingyu and smiles, squashing down the crowd of butterflies threatening to escape his throat.<br/>
"Guess I'm in."</p><p>"Guess you are." Mingyu cheers and claps his hands together.<br/>
"It'll be fun - you'll get the whole student experience, make more friends and uh," he gives Seokmin that shit-eating smile, "maybe you'll get your last concern fixed too."</p><p>"What was my last concern?"</p><p>"You know the whole virgin - "</p><p>"Shut up!"</p><p> </p><p>Okay, so maybe in the whole I'm-finally-gonna-make-friends exhilaration, Seokmin may have forgotten to mention to Josh that Minghao's is a Mardi party. </p><p>Not like it threw him though. From where he currently has his tongue down some person's throat in the corner of the courtyard, Josh is adapting startlingly well.</p><p>"So," Mingyu says, sidling up to him with a little rainbow flag painted on his right cheek and a heart on his left, "gay?" </p><p>"Can't tell," Seokmin says, taking another small sip of the soju he brought along, "does kinda validate the whole thing I had for him though."</p><p>Minghao slinks up next to them and throws a skinny arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. Glitter dusts his arms like soot, his eyeshadow a pop of brilliance in the dark. Mingyu is absolutely punching out of his league, "Yeah I get you, he's my type."</p><p>"I thought I was your type." Mingyu sulks like the big baby he is and Seokmin shudders and takes it as his cue to turn away - there really is nothing like seeing your best friend acting nauseatingly cute to turn your stomach. </p><p>"They're kinda gross, aren't they."</p><p>Seokmin spins around and nearly trips over a succulent. Two arms shoot out to catch him, a solid body under his and when the head attached to the body looks up...</p><p>"Damn."</p><p>"What?" The guy, head of unnaturally blond hair with pink streaks obviously sprayed in, tilts his head upwards consideringly. His cheekbones glow under the fairylights set up im the courtyard and even the yells from the beer pong table to the side of them isn't enough to tear Seokmin's eyes away.</p><p>"Damn," he says weakly, "uh, they're pretty gross. Yeah."</p><p>The guy cautiously lets go of Seokmin when he deems that he can stand upright without too much help. There's golden shimmer on his collarbones and nose, an attempt at a paint job on his cheek, a thin loose shirt slipping to show his shoulders and Seokmin can't look away.</p><p>"You okay?" The guy says, concern darkening his brow. "How much have you had to drink?"</p><p>"Not much," Seokmin defends himself, holding up the soju he brought along. He's only got a quarter bottle left, "see?"</p><p>The guy eyes him and cocks his head to the side, smiling languidly. <i>Sexy</i>, Seokmin's mind whimpers, <i>fuck fuck fuck sexy boy help.</i></p><p>"Cute," he declares, "which housemate's person are you?"</p><p>"Mingyu's and Minghao's," Seokmin replies automatically and decides that he probably either needs to tornado the rest of the bottle to get the courage to finish this conversation or just give up the ghost and head back to scream into his pillow and try and stalk the guy's Insta because wow, the way he's staring at Seokmin makes him feel like a puddle on the inside, "I'm Seokmin or uh, James if that's hard to pronounce. You?"</p><p>"Vernon's. I'm Seungkwan - I'm guessing you're Korean so you can pronounce it but like," Seungkwan shrugs and smiles wryly, "I stopped fucking with white names in highschool. </p><p>He takes a sip way too delicate for the goon in his cup and then makes a face, "Yeah, I don't know why I thought that would taste good. Cruisers all the way."</p><p>Seokmin stumbles into a laugh and Seungkwan just watches him, little crinkles forming at the corner of his eyes and Seokmin is warm, not just from the lingering summer heat.</p><p>"Vernon!" He exclaims, clutching at straws just so he can extend this conversation. He <i>will</i> come out of this party with a new friend. <i>Maybe,</i> he lets himself hope for a second, <i>maybe more?</i> "Such a cool guy, have you seen him tonight?"</p><p>Seungkwan snorts a little and it's impossibly cute, the way he turns it into a giggle and waves his hand like he's dispelling any awkwardness.</p><p>"Not seen him but uh," Seungkwan shrugs and takes another sip of his cup. He purses his lips and puts it down on a nearby ledge. Smart choice, "you know what he does at these things."</p><p>"Uh..." </p><p>"Oh," Seungkwan looks at him with amusement and touch of surprise in his eyes, "cute, you actually don't?" </p><p>"Am I meant to know?" </p><p>Seungkwan looks up at the sky through criss-cross of fairy lights, gaze lingering on a particular window. The view through it is a little smoky.</p><p>"...let's leave that one for another day."</p><p> </p><p>Minghao's housemates have decided not to do the parade this year which, honestly fair. Oxford street is crowded as fuck, no one really wants to see all the simp-y corporate ally floats, and hsp prices rocket up like crazy. </p><p>Seokmin's done it once and he's alright with not doing it again, thanks.</p><p>That means that the guests at Minghao's place linger way longer, about half trickling out around seven to head to the city and the rest dwindling down as they head to see other friends or go to one of the clubs. </p><p>In the end, it's Seungkwan and Seokmin taking up the courtyard by themselves at four in the morning, still chatting aimlessly even as lights turn off from the windows above and the fairylights start to flicker. </p><p>Seungkwan's a year younger. Has two sisters and a mum and works two part time jobs to supplement income. A business student, wicked smart and witty and can apparently navigate networking events like no other. </p><p>Seokmin's kinda scared but also turned on at the same time, just from <i>talking</i> to Seungkwan. Maybe it's a little pathetic.</p><p>"What's your insta?" </p><p>"Oh here, let me type it in for you...okay, done, yeah that's me, don't judge okay?"</p><p>"What would I judge?" Seungkwan snorts and follows him immediately, no hesitation. Seokmin accepts the request, only a little bit of hesitation, and follows Seungkwan back.</p><p>A quick scroll of his profile and Seokmin's pre-emptively mourning his rejection. All the pictures of pretty brunches, Seungkwan and girls who must be his sisters smiling big in hanboks for Chuseok, a cover or two at a piano, pretty hands captured in frame. </p><p>"Oh my god."</p><p>"Oh no," Seokmin says reflexively, "what did you find?"</p><p>"You can make pizza?" </p><p>"Oh!" A wave of relief floods over Seokmin. "Yeah, from scratch? My sister wanted to go to this really fancy italian place and my parents weren't really keen so I just tried it at home and it worked! It tasted really good, I - "</p><p>"You gotta stop there."</p><p>"...what?"</p><p>"You gotta stop there," Seungkwan repeats and even though the shimmer on his skin must have sweated off by now, Seokmin swears that Seungkwan is still luminescent, "boys like you are so annoying, I can't believe you're real."</p><p>"Uh?" Seokmin fumbles over his tongue, feels like it's grown three sizes too big for his mouth. "I? I - what?"</p><p>"You're really cute," Seungkwan says bluntly, almost frustrated, "I've been flirting with you the whole night because you're <i>hot</i> and I thought we'd maybe just hook up and call it a night but you just had to be so genuinely sweet? And good to your family? And like stupid levels of humble and kind and - you make pizza! You can cook!"</p><p>Seokmin blinks, red rising to his cheeks.</p><p>"Okay, it's been awhile since I talked to like, new people so you gotta tell me if this a friend thing to build up my ego or - "</p><p>"Seokmin Lee," Seungkwan leans over and places a hand on his thigh sweetly and fuck, Seokmin's only known him for one night but why does it feel like his whole life has changed, tipping on its axis startlingly fast he can't even catch a breath, "I think you're cute in a non-friend way. I kinda want to suck your dick in a non-friend way. I would like to take you out for coffee in a non-friend way."</p><p>He cups a hand around the back of Seokmin's neck and leans in. Whispers.</p><p>"Right now, I'd really like to kiss you in a non-friend way."</p><p>Seokmin swallows, throat bobbing like a fishing lure. </p><p>Student experience, check.</p><p>Make more friends, check?</p><p>Get rid of virginity... TBC.</p><p>Seokmin screws his eyes tightly shut and leans in, meeting Seungkwan's mouth with his. It's the residue of summer, the fallen confetti around their feet littering the courtyard cobblestones, the pride and bravery of all those that came before them that lets Seokmin do this. </p><p>Kiss a pretty boy without fear. Of the future, of time slipping away, of all the missed opportunities he could've should've would've taken.</p><p>He can't get the past three years back but in this moment, he sure can make the most of this one.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>fun facts abt this au<br/>- josh's boy is jeonghan. jeonghan's in the korean students law society exec and josh is in the law school society exec. there's definitely a story there.<br/>- the housemates are minghao, vernon, seungcheol and jun. they have a cute terrace in glebe with a shit ton of succulents because of jun's gardening phase and now seungcheol's named them and formed an attachment<br/>- seungcheol's white name is chris<br/>- seokmin's venn diagram that's rlly a circle of friends includes mingyu, chan, joshua, soonyoung and wonwoo<br/>- seungkwan used to work at boost juice and kmart part time when he was in highschool to help supplement his family's income</p></blockquote></div></div>
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